The Ukrainian defenders of Snake Island are actually “alive and well,” according to the Ukrainian Navy, CNN reports.
The soldiers were all feared dead after their defiant response to threats from a Russian warship.
The soldiers, who were defending the tiny island in the Black Sea, were reported killed in an attack on the first day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last Thursday.
An approaching Russian vessel had warned the soldiers to lay down their arms and surrender or face bombing but one of the defiant defendees could be heard in a purported audio exchange, saying, “Russian warship, go f*** yourself.”
And Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later announced that 13 soldiers on Snake Island all died “heroically” by Russian bombardment.
The navy said that the soldiers on the island repelled two attacks by Russian forces but in the end were forced to surrender “due to the lack of ammunition.”
The navy statement said that Russian attackers have, however, destroyed the island’s infrastructure, including lighthouses, towers and antennas completely.
Russian state media also showed the arrival of the Ukrainian soldiers in Sevastopol, Crimea, where they are being held.